Makeup
by Black Lightning Bulb
Summary: A short Karin story, she's older, she's a little more mature, but she still hates wearing a dress. Ishida is more then a little drunk, he could break a breathalyzer. Tatsuki doesn't even remember the last time, if at any time, she has seen Ichigo smile.


Extreme crackfic

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Make-up

Karin had started liking make up about a year ago. She had been flipping through of Yuzu's fashion magazines and had seen an article that had caught her eye. It was an interview with Tatsuki, of course she knew who Tatsuki was and that really this was a publicity thing, but it was still cool. Her and the interviewer were discussing her career in karate while reminding people she was still a girl, without looking like a slut. They had some really nice pictures of her too. With make up. This is what got Karin. They had instructions on how to get 'Tatsuki's look'. The next day Karin spent her allowance at a makeup boutique in the trendier part of town, buying all the products she needed for 'Tatsuki's look'.

When she first put on the lipstick it looked like she had just eaten cherry pie. Ichigo came in a raised an eyebrow, taking a wash clothe from the closet. "Have I really been away that long Karin? You're only seven."

"Shut up, I'm seventeen!" She yelled, throwing a tube of toothpaste at him.

"So what are you doing anyway?" He asked, leaning against the doorway. He uncapped the toothpaste and put it on his finger, starting to brush vigorously.

"Why aren't you using a toothbrush?" She retaliated, closing up the lipstick she had just failed to apply.

"Kon decided that he was going to use my toothbrush as a back scratcher."

"Ew."

"Yeah." She stares at her brother while he absent mindedly brushes his teeth. He is scowling, but with a far off look in his eyes. He's back for only a week to see old friends at there high school reunion. She remembers talking to him on the phone about it. He doesn't want to come; he doesn't want to see anyone. She asks if he knows who is going to be there, she thinks about asking if Tatsuki is going to be there. Then her mind wanders on to the big hulking behemoth of a man.

She blushes on reflex thinking about that past moment and is glad that Ichigo is too busy brushing his teeth to notice.

Round two with the makeup is a tad more successful. The lipstick stays inside the natural line her lip makes. She looks at herself in the mirror and already sees the difference. She isn't sure if she likes it though. It's a light pinkish that is rather shear, and mixes well (even is she doesn't realize it) with her natural color. She has to put on foundation. She looks at the magazine. She wonders if Tatsuki is really wearing foundation. She voices this out loud as Ichigo is walking down the hallway again. "Ask her yourself. She's having a party." He scowls at this, deciding to rephrase the statement. "Actually, Orihime is making her have a party. You can try out your new look. She'll love that she has a fan base." He smirks and walks off before she can actually throw anything at him.

Along with Tatsuki's look came clothes. Ichigo had told her that it was going to be at a nice restaurant that she had rented out a small room on top of the actual dining area for her little party. She decided to dress nicely for it. When she had finished changing into a nice sweater and pair of jeans Yuzu stops her. "You're going to Mi Chi Follows Karin, not McDonalds."

"Whats wrong with my outfit?" She demands.

"Geez sometimes its hard to believe were related." Yuzu says, wiping at her nose with a tissue. She smiles, then sneezes, sitting down on the bed. "I wish I could go with you, but that kid who came in a few days ago must have given me his cold. I feel horrible." She stands up walking towards there closet. Before she opens it she turn back towards Karin. "Are you wearing makeup?"

"Just shut up and choose my outfit." Karin says, blushing.

She starts to wipe at the stuff but her sister stops her, "I like it. Understated yet sophisticated. Very chic." She opens the doors, hands immediately flying through everything they have. Karin suddenly wishes she hadn't let her sister choose for her when she comes out with a very pretty dress.

"Hell no."

"Come on."

"Anything but that."

"Impress someone for me Karin." Yuzu winks, leaving the dress and a jean jacket in her lap. "Wear the black ballet flats that are down stares."

She is standing outside of Mi Chi Follows with Ichigo, who is bending down by a car's side view mirror, trying very hard to tame his hair. It wasn't working. His scowl deepens and he straightens to his full height. He slicks back his hair, and it stands back up again, nodding for her to follow him. She straightens the front of her dress and walks in behind him. He hands the hostess in a piece of paper and she smiles, "Right this way." She walks up to a door, opening it and telling them to head on upstairs, that a lot of people are already there including the great Tatsuki.

Ichigo waits until she closes the door to comment on that. "The Great Tatsuki? That's weird."

"Yeah." Karin replies not paying attention. She's tugging at her sweater. She's not so confident now. She isn't sure that she really wants to be in a dress anymore. It was really uncomfortable. The heels are making her calves hurt. She wishes she had never shown interest in coming.

Ichigo has already come upstairs and has been bombarded by Orihime. "Ichigo! It's been a really long time!"

"Only two days Orihime. Just two." He holds up his fingers, but eventually pats her back awkwardly. Other people came up and said hi.

She noticed Tatsuki standing in the corner wearing a nice pair of pants and blouse. Not a dress like in the article. Damn it all. "Hey."

"Hey Karin." Tatsuki gave her a skeptical look. "You in a dress? Yuzu made you right?"

"Yeah." Karin replied, speaking for the first time since they had left the house. "I look ridiculous right?"

"No you look cute." Tatsuki said. She raised an eye brow, moving her face closer to Karin's. "That's my make up. I didn't think anyone actually read that article. You did better then Mayakashi, and he's a damn professional." She leaned back and winked, "Next time I need to go to an award ceremony I'll come to you. I'm not gonna get charged for it or anything right."

Karin was startled at the complement but quickly snapped out of it. "Only if you come for clinic, then you have to pay for the stuff hot shot."

Tatsuki patted her on the back. "We better go mingle before Orihime comes over here. 'Mingle Tatsuki it's good for the soul.' Yeah, she who used to eat eel and peanut butter sandwiches. Hard to believe that she's a chef in a classy joint like this right." Tatsuki laughed and walked off towards Ichigo, punching him on the arm. Karin smiled, feeling her stomach rumble.

She looked around the room, spotting a table with food piled high. She almost bursts out laughing remembering what their father had said before they left. 'Bring me back some of that food. Yuzu is a great cook, but Mi Chi Follows is the best of the best. I'll take a doggy bag from there any day!' Karin smiled, picking up a small plate and putting some sushi on it. She looked around for a table finally finding one. The only one. That someone was already occupying. Yay for small talk. "You don't mind if I sit here do you?"

"No." A deep baritone voice responded. Karin sat down taking a better look at the man. Big shoulders, slightly long wavy brown hair. Even without the Hawaiian shirt that he seemed to make work or a school uniform she knew who it was. Chad. "Who have you been Karin?"

Karin resisted the urge to run off screaming. She had been having dreams of when he had saved her, or when she had saved him. When they saved each other. "Fine. This place is really cool." She offered him her plate. "Sushi?"

"Thank you." He took a piece with his fingers, putting the whole thing in his mouth. He chewed slowly. Everything about him seemed slow. Not in a bad way, in a calm relaxed way. Like he had all the time in the world. It was hard to imagine that someone who saw spirits, even just vague outlines, would think that he had all the time in the world. Karin had never thought that she had all the time in the world, she had always known that time was short. She needed to move fast to make sure that she did everything she needed to do. Life could end tomorrow.

"What have you been up to Chad?" She asked. She wished she could say something cooler. She wished she knew why she wanted to say something cool.

"Been teaching self defense classes at the local gym. You're still in high school right?"

It seems that age has become relevant. She isn't so young. She's applying to colleges. She wants to go to Tokyo U. She has to take exams a few months from now, she hasn't been cramming at all. She's skipped all of the study groups that her teacher has held for the five people in the whole town who are trying to get into to Tokyo U. She'll do a hard core cramming the week before, but quite honestly she had toured at Tokyo U. The spirits there give you answers to everything. "Yeah. I'm applying to Tokyo University. I have to take the entrance exams a few months from now."

"There hard." He muttered. "I took them, it was the hardest thing I've ever had to do."

"Did you get in?"

"Yeah."

"Then why aren't you there?"

"Tokyo U isn't the cheapest place." She gave him a small nod, secretly worrying over her own tuition. She already talked to a loan officer at the bank, but he had told her she had to wait until she got a letter. Not any time sooner would he even allow her to get the paper work. "Don't worry about it though. They would be lucky if they got you."

She blushed, glad the Mi Chi Follows relied heavily on a cool atmosphere with little lighting to get there reputation. She thinks it might be that the owner is just cheap. "Thank you. They were stupid to not offer you a scholarship."

They sat in awkward silence for a while, watching as the others got drunk. Ishida, notably, is a loud drunk, and was on a couch and singing song from his grade school days about frogs and candy. It sounded horrible. She turned in the other direction and saw that her brother was walking over to Ishida. Oh no. These things never ended good. "Ishida you suck!"

Ishida turned towards him almost falling off the couch. "Well Mr. Soul Reaper, do me one better!"

Karin knew this wasn't going to end well. This was going to end with both of them fighting. Not because they weren't friends, but because they both had tempers, or Ishida gained one when he was drunk, and they both were very, very drunk. "Shit." She muttered, getting up from her seat.

Chad grabbed her arm, pulling her back. "Let's see what happens. If they fight I'll pull them apart myself." She turned towards the fight watching as her extremely drunk brother tried to punch his extremely drunk friend. Said drunk friend tried to dodge it but ended up falling over a recliner. Ichigo took the opportunity to pounce, and pounce he did, right over the recliner. "See. They can't even stay up. No worries."

She laughed, watching as he brother tried to get up, failed, then flopped back on the floor. She then watched as a now unconscious Ishida rolled off the recliner and into her also unconscious brother's lap. She then groaned. "How the hell am I supposed to get him home now?"

"I'll help." Chad waiting for her to grab her purse and the few things she had decided to take home to her family.

She watched as the tall man picked Ichigo up, placing him over his shoulder. They both said the good byes to a slightly tipsy Tatsuki then left, Karin grabbing her coat and Chad's on there way out.

They walked down the road in a slightly awkward, but less awkward then talking, silence. She watched out of the corner of her eye as he took his steps, making her steps so that they fell at the same time. She felt her face flush when she realized he was looking at her too and turned away. They finally arrived at there house and she opened the door for him, noting that all of the lights where out. She flipped on a switch leading Chad into there living room where he set Ichigo down. They walked back outside and she flicked the light off as she went.

"Thank you." She murmured, looking out at the street. She saw a white cat run past there gate, a spirit chasing after it.

"No problem." He said. They stood there for a few moments, looking out at where the cat had been. "You look pretty tonight, by the way."

Karin bowed her head, staring at her shoes. "Thank you." She looked at him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Call me okay?" Then she ran inside.

She looks outside from her window, her head only high enough so her eyes can see. She can see a lipstick stain on his cheek as he walks out through there gate.

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I wrote this during my winter break when I was in Florida and it had been raining. We were staying in a hotel that had a pool right by the turn pike. You can see why I was so bored yes? 


End file.
